The present invention relates to an apparatus for recovering floating bitumen from large bodies of water. Most devices for recovering oil or bitumen from bodies of water are concerned with the recovery of thin film. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,314,545, to Grabbe et al., issued Apr. 18, 1967, proposes an endless conveyor belt of nonabsorbent material to which oil adheres. The Grabbe et al. apparatus and method are uniquely suited to solving the problem of recovering a thin layer or film of oil. Currently, apparatus designed for the recovery of large volumes of thick tarry or bituminous floating materials either recover undesirably large quantities of water with the bitumen or do not recover maximum quantities of bitumen.
The present apparatus permits recovery of floating bitumen from large bodies of water in a manner whereby the amount of water recovered with the bitumen is substantially less than that recovered using other equipment.